Conveyer for feed-cutters.



M. FREEMAN.

CONVEYER FOR FEED GUTTERS.

APPLICATION TILED JAN.13, 1909.

Patented June 14,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Gil/M 5W, Envenfoz M. FREEMAH.

GONVEYEP. FEED cUTTi'iRs,

APPLICATION FILED JAN.13,,1909.

a sums-anamz.

wu' zutoz Patented Jimejl l, 1910i- FREEMAN.

GONVEYER FOR FEED CUTTERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.13, 1909.

Patented June 14,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

witnesses UNITED srnrns PA'IENT carton.

MICHAEL FREEMAN, OF RAQINE, WISCONSIN.

ooNvEYER non mmwim ms.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 14, 1910.

Application filed January 13, 1909. Serial N 0. 472,028.

from the feed-cutter to the window or other elevated opening of the silo, although it is also adaptable for use in other relations. Generally heretofore these carriers have consisted of a trough-like casing with one end resting within a stationary boot which is attached to the cutter, and into which it discharges the ensilagewhich is taken up therefrom more or less imperfectly by the moving conveyer, which consists ordinarily of pair of endless chains connected at inters by buckets or cross-sticks. A board or plank is used to support the upper lap of the conveyor, which is the ascending one, and over this board the ensilage is dra ed up until it falls off the end thereof in the silo. This common. form of carrier is open to several objections. In the first place the ensilage is apt to stick to the flights or crosssticks as Well as the chains, and bein carried over with them is dropped from the lower or descending lap of the conveyer upon the ground, where a large amount accumulates in the course of continued perations and has to be collected by hand and reelevated. Secondly, the ensilage on the ascending plank being open to the atmosphere is largely blown away by the wind. Thirdly, the lower or descending lap of the conveyer requires a special support, to prevent too great tension upon the shafts at its ends and at the same time prevent it from interfering with the opening in the silo.-

Fo'urthly, the raising of the ensilage from the boot of the feed-cutter implies necessarily a considerable collection of feed therein, which consequently piles over and clogs the action of the driving-sprocketand conveyer.

The object of my invention is to construct a conveyer which shall avoid these several objections in a simple, cheap and eflicient manner.

My conveyer comprises in its construction a plank, forming the-mainstay and support for the upper lap of the chain, and a semicircular gutter or trough attached to the edges thereof on its lower side and forming the support for the lower lap of the conveyer. At the lower end of the plank is mounted a closed head which substantially replaces the fixed boot ordinarily supplied to receive the ensilage from the feed-cutter, and in this boot is journaled the drivingshaft of the conveyer; and journal-bearings are provided upon said head whereby the latter is adapted to swing vertically upon an axis concentric with the driving-shaft. Means are also provided for propelling the -conveyer in a direction such that the lower lap thereof is the rising one, hence the feed instead of being dragged up over the plank is moved upward along the gutter, which being closed no material can escape therefrom.

My invention further consists in the spe cial construction of the conveyer-flights which are made of segmentalform, and in the means whereby they are braced against breakage.

My invention further comprises special constructions and combinations which are hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

"For the better understanding of my invention I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings the most improved form thereof, which is described below in detail.

In these drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a conveyer constructed according to my invention, showing parts of a feedcutter and silo in connection therewith; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on a larger scale of the conveyer separately; Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof; the central portion of the consheet; Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the plane of the line 4, looking in the direction of the arrow; and Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively an end and side view of the hood and delivery-spout on the upper end of the conveyer.

In these drawings every reference letter and numeral refers always to the same part.

In Fig. 1 the conveyer as a whole is designated A, the feed-cutter B and the silo G, in the wall 0 of which is the usual opening 0 for the insertion of the conveyer. The feedcutter itself forms no part of the present invention and ismerely illustrated in conventional form to illustrate the usual mounting of the conveyer.

The details of the conveyor are shown in in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. A plank a sufliciently heavy and strong to form the main support, extends longitudinally of the conveyer and has attached to its edges a semicircular trough a of galvanized 11011 or the like, re-

inforced at its upper or delivery end by an angle-iron yoke 11 or other suitable 'structure. To the lower end of the lank af is' -wheel cl, and at one end outside the head a a driving pulley d or other means for rotating the shaft. It will be seen from the drawing that the bearing-lugs a formed on the head a are themselves turned exteriorly to form journals a", which are received in bearing-members E secured by bolts e or other means to the legs I) of the feed-cutter.

On the opposite end of the plank a are secured a. pair of parallel bars a which extend beyond the ends of the plank and carry a stationary shaft F, on the center of which turns a sprocket-wheel f rovided with an oil-chamber f for lubricatlng it. The ends of the shaft F are secured in holding-blocks f which have longitudinal extensions 7 lying'against the sides of the bars 0: and sliding thereon being connected thereto by bolts f which are each movable in a slot f in one of the two members. 'Adjustingscrews f connecting the blocks f with the outturned ends a of the bars a are utilized for moving the shaft F longitudinally and thus drawing the conveyer-chain to proper tension. w

The conveyer-chain'G passes over the two sprocket-wheels d and f and as shown lies centrally of the conveyer, carrying at intervals a series of transverse flights 9. These flights, as shown at the right of Fig. 3 and in Fig.- 4, are each made up of a segmentshaped board or plank secured to the sides of the conveyor-links by socket-pieces g 9 one of which is longerthan the other so that the rivets g passing through the board at theirends do not traverse the same fibers of the wood' and thereby avoid a tendency to split. The splitting or breaking oil of the edges of'the flight is still further avoided by a pair of longitudinal pins 9 passing'transversely of the grain to the sides of the flight and through holes in the socketieces 9 g riveted at their outer ends in t eedges of the flight. This construction is strong, light and simple. and prevents breakage of the flights evenif there should be a weakness or actual fracture parallel to the grain of the wood, because the rivet-pins 9 continue to hold the material in lace.

It will be observed that the shape of the flights g is such as to conform to the bottom of the trough a and thus positively -move the ensilage along said trough, the

shape thereof (preventing the ensilage from passing aroun the ends or over the tops of the flights as where ordinary upon aflat board. The pu ley d is turned in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 2- so that the lower lap of the chain assticks are used I cends, moving with it the ensilage which drops upon the bottom of the head (1 and falls out at the upper end of the trough a thus being at all times free from the,chain -G and ensilage which might stick thereto on passing out of the silo is conveyedover the board a -and down into the head (1* again,

so that it is impossible for it to fall upon the I ground. A pair of uide-plates a are secured to the upper e go of the plank a, the

free ends of which are curved downwardly i to guide the edges of the flights and prevent them from becoming ca'ught or engaged with the edge of the plank. The head a as shown and as preferably made consists of two parts divided along the center-line of the shaft D and united together by connecting-strips a.

'In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown means whereby I enable the ensilage to be deposited at any point in the silo without moving the con veyer. To the side-bars a or other convenient part of the conveyer at the upper end is attached a hopperor funnel H in posi-' tion to receive the ensilage as it falls from the trough a and over the outer end there of is placed a hood h to prevent ensilage from falling over the end of the hopper or being carried thereover by the flights as they turn around the sprocket-wheel f. The lower end of the hopper H is provided with 'a flange k on which is rotatably mounted a chute 12, by means of a groove-ring k secured to its upper end and engaging with the flange II}, as shown in Fig. 6. n the lower end, of the .chute it is mounted a'f has a rock-arm 2" secured thereto, to the end of which is attached a cord 71 passing over a pulley 2' on the side of the chute h ,'so that by adjusting the cord 2' which can be done second cord 72. passes around the groove in the ring h and may be attached to onepoint thereof, the-two ends of said' cord passing over pulleys h on the sides of the carrier asshown in Fig. 6 or of the'si'lo as 'shown in Fig. 1, thence down to a convenientpoint hinged spout I upon a hinge-pin z" and'which' within the silo, so that by pulling on either angular direction. A 7

While I have hereinabove shown the most I improved form of my invention, I wish it understood that not all of the features are essential thereto or necessarily made in the exact form shown, but various changes and modifications in the constructions as herein shown may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I wish it understood therefore that the latter is not otherwise limitedv than by the reasonable scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is 1. In a conveyer, a longitudinal plank, a

semi-circular trough attached to its edges, a reinforcing yoke atvthe delivery end thereof,

a closed head securedto the lower end of said plank with a hemi-spherical end forming a receiving boot, said head being open on its upper side and having upstandin flanges to form a hopper, a driving shaft extending transversely of sa1d head and ournaled 1n bearings thereln, said bearlngs being turned exteriorly to form journals.

latter and provided with bearings for a stationary shaft.

3. In a conveyer, means for nonsplittably mounting a bucket or flight comprising, in combination, aplateof splittable material, a pair of sockets on opposite sides of the center each having a pair of legs flanking'opposite sides of the plate, a rivet for each socket at its ends passing through saidplate and connectingthe two legs thereof, the legs of one socket being longer than those of the other, the rivets passing through the extreme' ends of the Socket, and a pair of pins passing edgewise through the material of the board transversely of the, grain thereof and having one end headed over the base of one of the sockets and theother end headed over the edge of the plate.

4;. In a conveyer, a longitudinal plank, a semi-circular trough attached to its edges, a reinforcing yoke at the delivery end thereof, a closedhead secured to the lower end of said plank with a hemi-spherical end forming a receiving boot, said head being open on its upper; side and having upstanding flanges to form a hopper, a driving shaft extending transversely of said head and journaled in bearings therein, said bearings being turned exteriorly to form journals, parallel bars securedto the upper end of said plank and extended beyond the end of the latter and provided with bearings for a stationary shaft, holding blocks having longitudinal extensions lying against the sides of said bars and sliding thereon, said blocks supporting the ends of said stationary shaft, and means for adjusting said blocks.

In witness whereof,-I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of December, 1908. her, 1908.

MICHAEL FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

VVILL-IAM W. HAVEN, J AMES P. GARVEY. 

